Front hood safety closure system having a separate catch-hook control

Abstract

A front hood safety closure system for motor vehicles includes a rotary latch disposed to swivel about an axis, a catch hook, a striker, as well as a retaining pawl disposed to swivel about an axis, in the closed position of the front hood, the rotary latch being connected to the striker located on the front hood in that the rotary latch receives the middle limb of the striker within a fork-shaped recess adapted to the shape of the striker, and when the locking of the front hood is released, the striker being connected to the catch hook performing a safety function upon release of the retention by the rotary latch, both the rotary latch and the retaining pawl assigned a stop. The catch hook is swivelable, independently of the rotary latch, about the catch hook axis, the catch hook axis being coincident with the rotary latch axis.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A safety closure system for a front hood of a motor vehicle, comprising:
 a catch hook swivelable about a catch hook axis; 
 a substantially U-shaped striker located on the front hood and having a middle limb; 
 a rotary latch swivelable about a rotary latch axis and having a fork-shaped recess adapted to a shape of the striker; and 
 a retaining pawl swivelable about a retaining pawl axis and operable by at least one of (a) a Bowden cable and (b) an electromotive drive; 
 wherein the rotary latch is adapted to receive the middle limb of the substantially U-shaped striker to operatively connect to the striker in a closed position of the front hood; 
 wherein the catch hook is adapted to operatively connect to the striker upon release of retention of the front hood by the rotary latch to perform a safety function; and 
 wherein the catch hook is swivelable, independently of the rotary latch, about the catch hook axis, the catch hook axis being coincident with the rotary latch axis. 
 
     
     
       2. The safety closure system according to  claim 1 , wherein the catch hook is operatively connected to a return spring. 
     
     
       3. The safety closure system according to  claim 1 , wherein an outer contour of a hook of the catch hook at a right angle to the axis catch hook axis has a slope in a direction of an end of the hook. 
     
     
       4. The safety closure system according to  claim 3 , wherein the slope of the outer contour of the hook of the catch hook increases at the end of the hook. 
     
     
       5. The safety closure system according to  claim 1 , wherein an outer contour of a hook of the catch hook is convexly curved. 
     
     
       6. The safety closure system according to  claim 1 , wherein a lower side of a hook of the catch hook is at least partially complementary to an outer contour of the middle limb of the striker so that the middle limb of the striker is accommodatable securely by the hook of the catch hook. 
     
     
       7. A safety closure system for a front hood of a motor vehicle, the front hood including a substantially U-shaped striker having a middle limb, comprising:
 a catch hook swivelable about a catch hook axis; 
 a rotary latch swivelable about a rotary latch axis and having a fork-shaped recess adapted to a shape of the striker; and 
 a retaining pawl swivelable about a retaining pawl axis and operable by at least one of (a) a Bowden cable and (b) an electromotive drive; 
 wherein the rotary latch is adapted to receive the middle limb of the substantially U-shaped striker to operatively connect to the striker in a closed position of the front hood; 
 wherein the catch hook is adapted to operatively connect to the striker upon release of retention of the front hood by the rotary latch to perform a safety function; and 
 wherein the catch hook is swivelable, independently of the rotary latch, about the catch hook axis, the catch hook axis being coincident with the rotary latch axis. 
 
     
     
       8. A motor vehicle, comprising:
 a front hood including a substantially U-shaped striker having a middle limb; and 
 a safety closure for the front hood, the safety closure including:
 a catch hook swivelable about a catch hook axis; 
 a rotary latch swivelable about a rotary latch axis and having a fork-shaped recess adapted to a shape of the striker; and 
 a retaining pawl swivelable about a retaining pawl axis and operable by at least one of (a) a Bowden cable and (b) an electromotive drive; 
 
 wherein the rotary latch is adapted to receive the middle limb of the substantially U-shaped striker to operatively connect to the striker in a closed position of the front hood; 
 wherein the catch hook is adapted to operatively connect to the striker upon release of retention of the front hood by the rotary latch to perform a safety function; and 
 wherein the catch hook is swivelable, independently of the rotary latch, about the catch hook axis, the catch hook axis being coincident with the rotary latch axis.